Torpedo



June 21, 1938. E', s, PURINGTON 2,121,446

'- ATTORNEY June 21, 1938. E. s. PURINGTON TORPEDO s sheets-sheet 2l Filed April 6, 1936 INVENTOR EHson S. Purngl'on. BY

ATT RNEY June 2l, 1938. E. s. PURINGTON TORPEDO Filed April 6. 1956 3 Sheets-sheet 3 INVENTOR EHson S. Purhg+on.

Patented June 21, 1938 LINEE STABS mit EPEE.

to John Hays Hammond, Jr.,

Mass.

Gloucester,

Application April 6, 1936, serial No. 72,915

10 Claims.

'This invention relates to the control of self propelled moving bodies, and more particularly to a new and improved means for controlling the action of a torpedo.

The invention provides a control device which becomes elective when the torpedo misses its objective and operates to redirect the torpedo for producing a hit.

. In one embodiment an antenna of conducting material, which is insulated from the surrounding medium, is trailed behind the torpedo in a position to contact with the hull of the enemy ship should the torpedo pass in front thereof. The contact with the hull causes the insulation to be disrupted thereby closing a circuit which is utilized for redirecting the torpedo toward the enemy ship.

The direction in which the torpedo must turn is determined by the direction of travel of the enemy ship and means is provided for manually setting the apparatus to cause the proper direction of turn before the torpedo is red.

The insulated antenna may be provided with a conducting covering in order to minimize the resistance path through the medium in which the torpedo is traveling.

The invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, the mode of its operation and the manner of its organization may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a. part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a portion of a torpedo embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the tail of the torpedo,

Fig. 3 is a transverse section along line 3--3 of Fig. l,

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the course of the torpedo under the inuence of the control device.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a modied form of the tail of the torpedo; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of another modified form of the tail of the torpedo.

Like reference characters denote like parts in the several gures of the drawings.

In the following description and in the claims parts will be identified by specic names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit.

Referring to Figs. 1 to` 3, there is shown a '51 water-borne torpedo forming a carrier of explosives, having a water tight hull I0 and arranged to be propelled by a pair of propellersv I I. The propellers II are mounted on a pair'of concentric shafts, including an outer shaft. I2 and an Y10 inner shaft I3. The'shafts VI2 and I3are directly connected to a driving means I5. A gear` I'I is secured to the outer shaft I 2 and operatively engages two gears I8 and I9 to cause the rotation of two shafts 20 and 2I. 15

For varying the direction of the movement of the torpedo about a verticaly axis so as to steer the torpedo in azimuth, there is provided a pair of blade rudders 25, secured to a pair of rotatable rudder posts 26 whereby the rudders 25 may be moved relative to the torpedo to control the direction of the movement thereof. The rudder posts 26 are rigidly connectedby a yoke 21 which may be moved according to requirements by a connecting rod 28, having one 25 end pivotally connected to the yoke 21. The other end of the connecting rod 28 is pivotally secured to a piston rod 29 of a piston 30 which is mounted for reciprocating movement in a cylinder 3|. This cylinder is the steering cylinder of a standard torpedo steering mechanism and is controlled in a well known manner by the usual gyroscopic apparatus 32. 'Ihe apparatus thus far described is set forth more in detail in U. S. Patent No. 1,857,150 issued May 10, 1932 to 35 John Hays Hammond, Jr. and only so much thereof is shown herein as is necessary to an understanding of the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention, the cylinder 3l is supplied with compressed air from 40 a pipe 35, which communicates with a valve 36. This valve is provided with two pistons 3l and 38 mounted on a valve stem 39, to the ends of which are secured two collars 4I) and 4I. Between the collar 4I and the valve 36 is a spring 45 42. The valve 39 is supplied with compressed air from any suitable source, not shown, by means of a pipe 43.

The valve 36 is connected by means of a pipe 44 to a rotary valve 45 which is rotatably 50 mounted in a valve casing |36. The rotary valve 45 is provided with a square shaped recess 34 (Fig. 3). The valve casing 46' is provided with an exhaust port 1H and is connected by means of two pipes 48 and 49 to the opposite ends of 55 a cylinder 50 which is provided with a piston 5I which is connected by a piston rod 52 and a link 53 to an arm 55. The arm 55 is pivoted at its upper end to a bracket 56 which forms part of the valve casing 46. The arm 55 is provided at its lower end with a slot 51 in, which slides a pin 58 secured to the connecting rod 28.

The collar 4I on the valve stem 39 is normally engaged by a trip member 68 which forms the core of a solenoid 6I and is held in the position shown by means of a spring 62. The solenoid 6| is in a circuit including a battery 63 and the front contact of a relay 65. The solenoid 6l is connected by a conductor 66 to one contact 61 of a distance gear lmechanism 68, the other contact 69 of which is connected by a conductor 10 to the armature of the relay 65. The two contacts 61 and 69 are secured to, but insulated from, a shaft 1I. This shaft passes through a water tight bearing 12 and at its upper end is provided with a pointer 13 and a square head 15 which may be engaged by an adjusting tool so that the contacts 61 and 69 may be rotated to any desired position which is indicated by means of the pointer 13, cooperating with a suitable scale not shown. The contact 61 is provided with a button 16 of insulating material, which engages a circular cam 11 provided with a cam projection 18. This cam is driven at a very slow rate of speed from the shaft 28 by means of the reduction gearing 19.

One side of the winding of the relay 65 is grounded to the hull of the torpedo lil at 88. The other side of the winding of this relay is connected through a battery Si to a conductor 82, which is insulated by a covering of rubber 83 or other suitable insulation. This insulated conductor passes through a pipe 84 to the exterior of the torpedo. This conductor is covered with insulation over its entire length so that normally it is not in contact with the medium surrrounding the torpedo.

Shortly before the torpedo is fired, the distance gear 68 is set by turning the shaft 1l a given amount as indicated by the pointer 13. This is done by the use of a socket wrench or adjusting tool which fits over the square head 15 of the shaft 1l. This setting is made considerably less than the estimated range of the enemy. The distance gear switch 61--68 is thus moved to a given position with respect to the cam 11, the angular distance between the cam projection 18 and the button 16 being proportional to the distance through which the torpedo will travel before the distance gear switch is closed.

If the enemy is moving to the left as shown in Fig. 4, the rotary valve 45 is turned to the position shown in Fig. 1 by means of a suitable tool inserted in the square shaped recess 34, thus operatively connecting the pipe 49 to the pipe 44 and the pipe 48 to the exhaust port 41.

When the torpedo is fired, the insulated wire 82 is unreeled from a detachable reel or other suitable means not shown. As the torpedo progresses, the shaft 29 is rotated by means of the gears il and i8, thus causing the cam 11 to be slowly rotated by means of the reduction gearing 19. This continues until the torpedo has traveled the distance set on the distance gear 68. After it has traveled this distance, the cam projection 18 will engage the button i5, thus lifting the contact 61 into engagement with the contact 66. It is thus seen that the solenoid 6I is in an inoperative condition until the distance gear closes the contacts 61 and 69 as just described. Hence the solenoid 6l will be maintained in an inoperative condition until the torpedo has reached the proximity of the target, thus preventing the premature operation of the control mechanism due to the shock of launching, etc.

During the run, the vertical rudders 25 of the torpedo are controlled in a well known and standard manner by means of the steering cylinder 3|, the action of which is controlled by the gyroscope 32. The torpedo then runs under the control of the gyroscope until itv reaches the enemy line.Y

In case the torpedo should fail to strike a ship but should pass in front of it, the hull of the enemy ship will contact the insulated wire 82 and disrupt the insulation 33, thus allowing the metallic conductor 82 to come in contactV with the water and to completev a circuit from the battery 8! through the conductor 82, the Water surrounding the torpedo, the metallic hull lil, and the relay 65 back to the battery 8i. This will energize the relay 65, thus closing a circuit from the battery 63 through the armature of the relay 65,' conductor 18, contacts 69 I and 61, conductor 66, and the solenoid 6I back to the battery 63, thereby energizing the solenoid 6l and causing the core 66 to be moved downwardly, to release the collar 4|. The valve stem 36, together with the pistons 31 and 38, are then moved to the right under the action of the spring 42, to shut off the supply of compressed air to the pipe 35 and connect this pipe to the atmosphere, thereby rendering the gyroscopic control ineffective. At the same time, compressed air is supplied to the pipe 44, thence throughV the rotary valve 45 to the pipe 49 and to the right-hand end of the cylinder 5D, to cause the piston 5I to be moved to the left and, by means of the piston rod 52 and link 53, to rotate the arm 55 in a clockwise direction. This arm, by means of the pin 58, moves the connecting rod 28 to the left, thereby turning the rudders H to port to cause the torpedo to be steered to the left as seen in Fig. 4. The torpedo will then follow the curve 85 until it strikes the enemy vessel, as at 86 Fig. 4, or until its power is expended.

If the enemy is moving to the right, the rotary valve 45 is turned through aquarter revolution from the position shown in Fig. 1, thus connecting the pipe 48 to the pipe 44 and the pipe 49 to the exhaust port 41. In this instance when the enemy ship contacts the tail 82, compressed air will pass from the pipe 44 to the left-hand side of the cylinder` 5D which will cause the arm 55 to be rotated in a counter clockwise direction. This motion will cause the connectingrod 28 to be moved to the right and thereby turn the rudders to starboard to cause the torpedo to be steered to the right. l

In order to minimize the resistance path lthrough the water, the insulated conductor 82 'zoV 82 and the metallic covering 90 at the point of break.

In Fig. 6 is shown another modified form of tail which consists of two conductors 82 and Si embedded in the insulating material 83. In this case the conductor 83 is connected to one side of the battery 8| as shown in Fig. 1 and the conductor 9i is connected to the winding of the relay 65. In this case when the enemy vessel strikes the tail, the insulation 83 will be disrupted thus allowing the water to close the circuit between the conductors 82 and 9| which will energize the relay 65 in a manner similar to that already described.

Obviously the radius of the circular path may be chosen with regard to the speed of the torpedo and the speed of the target ship so that a hit is most probable under average conditions. This radius may be adjusted by varying the movement of the piston l or by changing the leverage of the arm 55.

Although only a few of the various forms in which this invention may be embodied have been shown herein, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to any specific construction but may be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a torpedo, steering means for controlling the course thereof, a trailing wire insulated from the surrounding water, redirecting mechanism for altering the course of said torpedo, means to render said steering means ineffective and to render said redirecting mechanism effective and means actuating said last means in response to completion of the circuit to said trailing wire through the surrounding Water when the insulation is disrupted by contact with the hull of a target ship.

2. In combination with a torpedo, steering means, redirecting mechanism for altering the course of said torpedo, a pair of trailing conductors normally insulated from each other, and

means actuating said redirecting mechanism in response to completion of a circuit between said f conductors through the surrounding water when the insulation is disrupted by contact with the hull of a target ship.

3. In combination with a torpedo, steering means therefor, redirecting mechanism for altering the course of said torpedo, a trailing antenna comprising a central conductor having a coating of insulation and a covering of relatively fragile conducting material surrounding said coating, and means actuating said redirecting mechanism in response to completion of a circuit between said central conductor and said covering through the surrounding water caused by disruption of the covering and insulation caused by contact with the hull oi' a target ship.

4. In combination with a torpedo two trailing conductors normally insulated from each other land from the surrounding water and means responsive to completion of a circuit between said conductors for causing said moving body to change its course.

5. In combination with a torpedo, a trailing wire insulated from the surrounding water and adapted to contact with the hull of a target ship when the torpedo passes in front thereof, means for initially directing said torpedo toward the target ship, means to change the course of said torpedo and means actuating saidf last means in response to completion of the circuit to said trailing wire through the surrounding water when said insulation is disrupted by contact with said hull.

6. In combination with a torpedo, a trailing wire insulated from the surrounding water and adapted to contact with the hull of a target ship when the torpedo passes in front thereof, means for initially directing said torpedo toward the target ship, means to re-direct said torpedo toward said ship, and means actuating said last means in response to completion of the circuit to said trailing wire through the surroundng water when said insulation is disrupted by contact with said hull.

7. In combination with a torpedo, a trailing wire insulated from the surrounding water and adapted to contact with the hull of a target ship when the torpedo passes in iront thereof, means for initially directing said torpedo toward the target ship, means to change the course of said torpedo, a relay adapted to actuate said last means and means actuating said relay in response to completion of the circuit to said trailing wire through the surrounding water when said insulation is disrupted by contact with said hull.

8. In combination with a torpedo, a trailing wire insulated from the surrounding water and adapted to contact with the hull of a target ship when the torpedo passes in iront thereof, means for initially directing said torpedo toward the target ship, means to re-direct said torpedo toward said ship, means actuating said last means in response to completion of the circuit to said trailing wire through the surrounding water when said insulation is disrupted by contact with said hull and means for setting said re-directing mechanism for altering the course of the torpedo to either port or starboard.

9. In combination with a torpedo, a trailing wire insulated from the surrounding water and adapted to contact with the hull of a target ship when the torpedo passes in front thereof, means for initially directing said torpedo toward the target ship, means to change the course of said torpedo, a relay adapted to actuate said last means, means actuating said relay in response to completion of the circuit to said trailing wire through the surrounding water when said insulation is disrupted by contact with said hull, and means rendering said relay inoperative until said torpedo has travelled a predetermined distance.

10. In a torpedo, an insulating trailing conductor, means responsive to completion of the circuit to said conductor through the surrounding water when the insulation is disrupted by contact with the hull of a target ship to set upl an electric impulse and means responsive to said impulse to re-direct the torpedo on a course designed to increase the possibility of a hit.

ELLISON S. PURINGTON. 

